What Love is aka A Delirious & Exhausting Feeling
by Gecko Osco
Summary: You know what they say about love...that it's the most frustrating, sweat-inducing, nerve-wracking feeling you'll ever have.  But there's kissing I guess so that makes it all worthwhile. USUK, Part of the Persistence AU


Title: What Love Is aka A Most Delirious and Exhausting Feeling  
Genre : humor, romance  
Pairings: USUK, Spamano, past UK/Spain, others  
Rating: PG-13  
Warnings: Gakuen AU, human names used, language because Alfred has a potty mouth  
Summary: You know what they say about love...that it's the most frustrating, sweat-inducing, nerve-wracking feeling you'll ever have. But there's kissing I guess so that makes it all worthwhile.  
Note: This is a part of my new **Persistence AU **and takes place almost immediately after The Art of Persistence and serves as an interlude to the prom story. Ye all asked and ye shall receive-I have quite a few of these one shots planned out. Enjoy and remember reviews are love!

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_**What Love Is**_

_aka A Most Delirious and Exhausting Feeling_

You know how people say that when you first fall in love you feel happy and free and even food is supposed to taste better? That you have a bounce in your step and smile so much people start to look at you weird (not because you're creepy-smiling like Ivan does but smiling more than any normal teenager stuck at school should)? That you hear the birds chirping as singing and colors look more vibrant and-and you even wake up for school, or work because older people fall in love too I guess, happy for the new day because it's another day you're in love and the person you love wants you back? Well, I'm here to tell you that's ALL true; every single word of it.

But, what you're probably not told is that while all that happy-sappy stuff is true, being in love also feels like you've got a constant stomach ache and that there's a jackhammer in your head and you always have this funny taste in the back of your mouth. Because while you're SO happy you're in love and the person you love is in love with you right back, you're completely terrified that you'll do something to mess everything up and you'll go back to not being in love and all the crappy feelings that go along with that. It's really confusing and annoying and if I wasn't so awesome I probably wouldn't be able to handle all the stress; you know, this is probably why most high school romances don't work out, most seventeen years olds don't want to gut it out. But then, most seventeen year olds don't meet their true loves when they're eight.

Remember me? It's Alfred Jones again, resident soccer star, great at chemistry not so much at English, in love with and currently going out with cranky best friend Arthur Kirkland, any of this ringing any bells? If not, all you really need to know is that after being in unrequited love, which totally sucks, for most of my young life, I finally got Arthur Kirkland to realize how perfect we are together _and_ got him to kiss me on his porch. And now everything worked out just how I planned and it's great and I'm worried that I'll mess it up and lose the one thing I've wanted since grade school and finally got. You know, I went on before how unrequited love was a bitch, but requited love is a headache, a wonderful, wouldn't-trade-it-for-the-world headache that causes a whole lot of stress.

Not that I'd ever tell Iggy he causes a headache because then he'll just start yelling and being difficult and will get all offended because being in love isn't 'supposed' to sound like a chore; for a guy, he's really sappy and romantic, but as he knits for a hobby I should've expected that.

Now, you're probably wondering why the heck I'm whining about being in love after I whined so much before about being _secretly_ in love, but there's good reasons to be worried and stressed over! Because now that I finally got Arthur, now that we're finally going out and going to be going to prom together, there's the possibility that I'll lose it and be even more miserable than I ever was before. I mean, think about it, we're both young, most high-school sweethearts don't last in the 'real world,' and Arthur is heading off to college in a few months while I still have another year at Hetalia Academy. Not to mention, he's looking to attend a school in England while I've got my sights set on MIT so we wouldn't exactly be neighbors anymore. Plus, I'm pretty sure there's a statistic somewhere about how many high school relationships fail when the couple goes to different colleges that Arthur will pull out when he has his mini freak-out before leaving so I'm going to have to convince him I'm way more awesome than any stupid national study.

But, a hero's work is never done so it makes sense that even though I got my Lois Lane now I have to battle the forces that would try to keep us apart, like adulthood and a lack of "worthwhile" journalism programs at east coast colleges (which is stupid, isn't Brown east coast?).

And it doesn't help my worries that, on top of all that crap, Arthur's been so busy with prom stuff we've hardly gotten any time alone and there's only so many times he can hang out with me and my friends at lunch before he breaks Gilbert's nose. I could hang out with him after school when Track lets out but it's still all kinds of awkward sitting in the same room as Lovino, who is still dating Antonio I guess, and 'forbidden' from making mean comments about his two-timing jackass of a boyfriend. I honestly don't know how Arthur keeps from throttling Lovino; I love him, but Iggy's got the world's worst temper and REALLY holds onto his grudges. I mean, I guess it was a good thing that Lovino hooked up with Arthur's ex-boyfriend Antonio behind his back for months and then caused a huge blowout between Iggy and Antonio in the hall way at school because it finally made Arthur realize that I'm perfect for him—but still, not cool, you know?

So yeah, love is great and everything, but it's a pain as well.

I chewed on the cap of my pen as I went over a few last minute notes for the physics test I have tomorrow, sitting outside the school entrance as I waited for Arthur to get done with whatever prom stuff he was stuck doing today. It's freaking _ridonculous_ how much time and effort, and knowing Arthur, blood and tears from his fellow committee members goes into a dumb dance that can only go until midnight. If Arthur's not deciding on decorations, he's ordering food, or booking a DJ or ensuring that any shady corners are booby-trapped so no one can do-the-dirty at HIS prom—I feel like the only time I really get to see him is when we drive home. Driving to school doesn't count because Mattie's there too and there's nothing more of a cock-block than a smug little brother squished in the middle of a truck cab.

Practice ended at least a half hour ago and I had gotten done with most of my homework during the school day so all I really had to do was either read _Grapes of Wrath_ or study for my test while I waited; and as _Grapes of Wrath_ usually puts me to sleep, studying won easy. I shifted on the stone steps a few times and tried to read over gravitational lensing again before I huffed and stuffed the notebook back in my bag. I pushed myself up and stomped back into the school, taking the familiar path up to the student council offices; why did we even have to have the stupid dance again? It was cutting into my precious Iggy time! I took the stairs a few at a time and walked down the second floor corridor to where the student council rooms were set up, frowning when I heard how quiet it was inside, none of the usual yelling or cursing or weeping. I pushed the door open and saw that the rooms were empty of all human life, littered instead with decorations, papers and agreements, contracts with photographers and paint, of all things.

"Oi! If you lazy berks came back to just loiter around you might as well clear out again! Stupid blighters…"

I smiled and headed toward the melodious shouting of my boyfriend; he was on top of a rickety char, trying to reach a box labeled 'Prom Tickets' at the top of the cabinets, one of his arms stretched out and trying to get a good hold on the box while the other was balancing his weight against the shelves. Damn, he looked good like that—though, I'm probably way biased because I think he looks good when he's eating porridge or brushing his teeth but still. He should wear his long sleeves rolled up all the time and always keep his tie loose. He wobbled on the chair and I hurriedly place my hands on his hips to steady him, which of course made him curse out loud and glare down at me in surprise and anger. The anger faded when he saw it's me though.

"Alfred? Wh-what the blazes are you doing here?"

"Well, you were really late so I decided to come and see what was taking you so long. You know, I really think you like school too much." I smiled up at him and felt a warm swoop at how he slowly smiled back. Arthur does everything slowly; it always does weird things to my thought process. "And it's good I did! Why are you back here all by yourself? If I hadn't been back here like a good hero you probably would've fallen off that chair and hurt yourself!"

Arthur scoffed but didn't move out of my hold; instead he turned and continued to reach up and drag down the box from the highest shelf, using my hold to keep him balanced. "I was perfectly fine on my own, thank you, I certainly wouldn't have fallen."

He pulled at the box and balanced it against his chest before giving me a small nod; I stepped back and helped him as he stepped down off the chair before snatching the box out of his hands and carrying it back into the main classroom. "Sooo—why is everyone else gone?"

"Because they're all incompetent, lazy bastards who do nothing but toss about colored streamers at each other and scribble on their work when they're supposed to be working on posters to advertise the tickets!"

"Did you throw crap at them again?"

Arthur glared at me as he pointed where to put down the box and headed over to open it, standing really close to me; I like whatever he uses for shampoo, it smells like strawberries. "If I did, and I'm not saying I did, they would have most certainly deserved it!"

I chuckled and leaned in close to him, pressing a kiss into his cheek; whenever I do that he always turns this really cute shade of pink. Have I mentioned I really like being able to kiss him and touch him whenever I want? If not I do—I really, REALLY do. "Whatever, Iggy. You still haven't told me why you made me wait a half hour before I had to go and hunt you down. I do wanna go home sometime today!"

He peeked at me over his shoulder before he relaxed into my side and continued opening the box, pulling out a stack of the tickets as he did so. The tickets were actually pretty cool; they were black with alternating borders of red and blue with our school's name and prom theme in the middle and when you opened them, the inside was white and had flames at the bottom with icicles at the top. I have to admit, our theme is pretty kick ass this year; Fire and Ice is way better than the Pink Paradise nightmare stupid Feliks organized last year. I reached out and took one from the box, turning it over to look at the back before I put it in the stack Arthur was setting up.

"The tickets go on sale on Friday and some bloody genius misplaced these; I've been trying to find them all afternoon." Arthur turned a little bit and gave me a small, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry it took so long—and, and thank you for helping me get them down. I mean, I didn't need the help or anything but it was certainly appreciated and—"

I grinned and hugged him tight, loving how well he fit against me and how the small height difference made it easy for me to rest my chin on his shoulder. "Of course, sweetheart! I'm your hero and boyfriend, that's all part of the deal!"

He shook his head but was smiling as he turned around to face me, resting back against the long table, his arms reaching up to wrap around my neck loosely. My heart raced and my mouth went dry as he leaned in close, tugging me to stand between his legs; my hands settled on his hips again and I felt a shiver go up my spine. Arthur is definitely one of those people who can say anything or demand anything with a single look; it might be because his eyebrows are kinda big so it makes every glare, look, and stare he has more powerful. Or maybe because his eyes are just really green you can't help but drown in them; he was probably a sorcerer in a past life, magic eyes and all.

We met each other halfway and kissed softly, Arthur's tongue darting out to meet mine, pulling back to nibble at my bottom lip when I pushed forward. Arthur's a really awesome kisser, like super, holy-moly, my-brain-just-died kind of awesome. I guess that just comes with having a whole ton of ex-boyfriends but I really don't like thinking about that so moving on. He inhaled sharply through his nose when I moved my hands to the small of his back and pulled me close enough to feel every sharp angle and dip of his body; whenever we kiss, it feels so right, you know? Like we were never made to kiss anyone else but each other…but that sounds really lame even to me so let's pretend I didn't say anything, ok?

Arthur pulled away but pressed his deep breaths and lips into my neck, still pressed close to me. "We should head home."

I pulled away to look down at him, giving him my best pout. "Now you wanna go home? But there's kissing here!"

"Oh belt up and quit your whining! You were just complaining about having to stay here late!"

"That was before the kissing." He huffed and smacked my shoulder.

"If we stay any later we'll be kicked out by the security guard, you dolt!"

I sighed noisily but stepped away and adjusted the bag on my shoulder, letting him tidy up the piles of tickets we messed up. Arthur's the biggest neat freak I know at school—it's kinda funny how messy his room at home is in comparison. Once he was finished, he grabbed his bag and followed me out the door and out of the school, eyeing the walls and the posters advertising the prom with this weird look he gets when he's not really happy but can't find anything to complain about. He grumbled about 'idiots' and 'indolent cretins' under his breath but left the posters where they were, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets as we walked—I hated it when he did that, he left me with no way to hold his hand. PDA-phobic jerk.

The walk to the car was pretty much silent but not one of those weird, why-so-awkward kind of silences; it was comfortable, nice even, only made better if I could hold his hand while we walked. I glanced over at him as I dug my keys out of my bag. "Do you wanna come over for dinner? My mom's making pot roast."

Arthur shook his head as he slid into the cab; I had to push down the frown and instinct to whine. "I have too much work to do. Maybe next time, yeah?"

"You always say that." I sounded sulky, I know it and Arthur knows it; his frown was visible to me out of the corner of my eye as I started up the car.

"I AM busy, Alfred. Planning the prom, especially when all my fellows on the council are utterly useless, is not something that can be thrown together last minute! Not to mention I have my regular coursework to do on top of that."

"But you're always busy! We hardly ever get to see each other and whenever we DO have time to hang out you always cop out and say you have 'too much work' or something!"

Arthur sputtered and glared at me as I drove out of the parking lot. Normally I'd say this is cute but as I'm annoyed with him I ignored how his face looks flushed and how his eyes are bright with anger because that'll just remind me of how he looks after we make-out and that won't help me stay annoyed. "I-I do not 'always cop out' you wanker! I am legitimately busy and do not appreciate you implying I don't want to spend time with you because I think after that moment in the student council room it's rather obvious that I do!"

I stopped at a red light and looked over at him, not convinced entirely but not able to completely ignore the logic of his words. He did have a point, I guess, he's not really one to just randomly kiss someone he didn't care about and I DO know that he loves me—but how hard is it to stop by for dinner one night? My parents have started to think I've gone delusional and I'm imagining that Arthur agreed to be my boyfriend even though Matt backs me up that I'm not crazy.

I mean, I know he's busy, I'm busy too, but if you really love someone, you're supposed to ignore less important stuff so you can, as my mom puts it, 'canoodle.' I know Arthur's family isn't as supportive about him being gay as mine is, though I think a lot of that is probably because of his ex-boyfriends who were all tools, his family already loves me as the BFF; they'd love me as the boyfriend. And I know he thinks it's weird that my family wants to have him over as my date instead of my friend. And I _even_ know that for as many people as he's gone out with, he probably was never invited over to the parents' house for dinner because, again, those guys were douchebags, or even thought he would be.

But what I also know is that he'd end up having fun if he gave it a try. "I'm just saying it'd be nice if we got to spend more than an hour together driving home together. I mean, we spent way more time together when we were 'just friends' then we do now—it's just weird, you know? It's supposed to work the other way around."

Arthur didn't say anything which meant he knew I had a better point than him and was probably angry and guilty at the same time; he huffed, crossed his arms and looked out the window. I really know him too well. The silence came back but this time it was all kinds of uncomfortable and I drummed my fingers awkwardly against the steering wheel as the light turned green and I started driving again. As perfect as we are for each other, we're totally different in personalities which means we fight about as often as we make-out; we did when we were friends and we do now that we're together. It's just more awkward now, which sucks big ones.

The silence continued for most of the drive back and I could feel my resistance and determination to stay annoyed, because I was way more in the right than Arthur, crumbling because I hated it when we ended things all angry with each other. But just as I was pulling up to the corner of Arthur house though, he made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded an awful lot like a noise that meant 'no' or 'wait.' He was staring at his hands and his face was frowning; I didn't rush him because if I'd learned anything in the eleven years I'd known Arthur I'd learned that when he's thinking you don't try to rush him otherwise he'll explode and stomp off. After another minute of so of my car idling and looking creeper outside his house he looked up and caught my gaze.

"Keep going. I'll ring my parents so they know I haven't been murdered or anything."

I smiled but tried to not completely spazz out because if I made a big deal out of what he was saying he'd get embarrassed and shout to be let out of the car. "Awesome. My folks'll be happy you to see you! And if you need any help with your chemistry stuff I can totally help you after dinner!"

"Shouldn't you at least attempt to start _Grapes of Wrath_?"

"Nah, you can just tell me the important parts and I'll wing it! Can't be too hard to get, I mean, it's just about some boring trip to California during the Depression where a lot of bad stuff happens to a family, right?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and grumbled in response which meant the awkwardness had completely passed and we were back to normal; better than normal really because he was coming over for dinner and that wasn't normal, until now hopefully. I drove away from his curb and headed further down the street to my house as he called his parents and told them he was having dinner with me; I pulled into my driveway a few seconds later and turned off the engine, meeting his too-serious look with a grin. "You can relax, you know. It's just dinner, you've been over like a million times before."

Arthur did not look impressed. "It is _not_ 'just dinner' or else _you_ wouldn't have made such a large fess over it." He let out a heavy sigh as he got out of the car and shut it behind him. "Are you absolutely sure that—that your parents won't mind?"

"Hell, they're just happy I'm not gonna be mopey over you anymore!" I smiled at the joke but when Arthur did not look relaxed I leaned over the hood of the truck and snatched his hand as he walked around to meet me. "They don't care, you know that. They're not gonna start being mean to you just because you're dating me; they've known I've loved you forever and you were a guy then, weren't you?"

He was still frowning but it was one of his frowns that was used to keep a smile down. "You talked to your parents about how I ignored your affections for years? Yes, I'm sure that earned me points."

"Well, it's not like I talked to them, but it's their house and when you're mourning over your crush's new jerk of a boyfriend and how you're so much better at breakfast they tend to overhear. If you're that worried just tell mom that we're going to prom together and you'll pose for pictures and tell my dad you wanna go camping with us. It'll work, trust me!"

We didn't move for a little bit, even though I was hungry and could smell my mom's pot roast, which is amazing, from outside, but that was okay because that was just as new to Arthur as it is to me, even though people say he has a ton more experience. Maybe with sex stuff, which again I DO NOT like thinking about, but not with real relationship stuff; one that actually means something. He took another deep breath and pressed a small, quick kiss to my mouth before giving a firm nod to show he was ready; I squeezed his hand and led him inside. I was nervous, really nervous, but hopeful and happy at the same time which definitely won out as we walked through the door.

Now do you see what I mean? Love; it's wonderful, horrible, and causes way too much unnecessary sweating—but you wouldn't exchange for anything in the world; it's that awesome.

_Finis_


End file.
